|who i am|

|eight|

|Cherry's POV|

"I'm going to go out and let them know the rules. I need you guys to do a little directing until I can slip back in. You each have your sections, there's room for you to put gifts behind you. Please don't open them until later. We're going to have you do it up on the stage. They'll start at NaHee's table and work down the line." ChanHyuck instructs as we all try to see out the window behind him.

"Yeah, yeah—we get it can we start now?" NaHee chirps as she hurries to her table, way too excited to listen to anymore of ChanHyuck's rambling.

"You all have a few special guests coming. They were thrilled to get VIP access to you guys. They'll come in first, then probably slip out. A lot of them are really busy." ChanHyuck smiles as he watches us make our way to our places.

"I wonder who's coming—I hope it's some of our sunbaes!" JuHee exclaims as she squirms uncontrollably by her table.

"I think they'll be people we know. They're probably our idol friends." Sun mumbles as she sits down in her chair and lays her head on the cool tablecloth.

"Aera!" A loud voice calls from the front of the restaurant. I turn toward it curiously as a huge grin crosses my face.

"Momo-ring! Mina-ri!" I rush toward them with open arms, completely oblivious to the people slipping in behind them.

"I see how it is." YoungJae scoffs as he slips passed us.

"I'm loving my girls first. You and—" I swallow hard as my eyes fall on the final guest ChanHyuck invited for me. Mark.

"We only have time to stop in and say hi. We can see you more often than your fans can. This day is for you and them." Mina smiles as she pulls back.

"We got you a present." Momo chirps as she holds out a pink gift bag.

"You have to put it on the table for me." I insist as I take her and Mina's hands and drag them toward my table.

"I got you one, too." YoungJae rolls his eyes as he trails after us.

Mark stuffs his hands in his pants and silently follows after YoungJae. It's not unusual for him to be quiet when the others are around. He's really secretive about our relationship. He doesn't want anyone trying to meddle in our affairs. It makes sense. He doesn't want other people to try and influence us in any way.

"Thanks, it really means a lot that you all came." I stand behind the table and face them as they set their gifts down on the table.

"We should probably get out of here, you guys have a lot of people outside." Mark mumbles as he stares down at his feet.

"Give me hugs before you go!" I insist as I once again trap Mina and Momo in a bear hug.

"We love you, Aera! You've got this! You're going to get tons of gifts and millions of letters today." Momo insists as we pull apart.

"Love you, Aera! Let us know how it goes!" Mina waves as she and Momo slowly make their way back to the door.

"Good luck, kid. You're gonna need it. These things are fun, but can be very tiring." YoungJae gives me an awkward hug before following after the girls.

Mark waits until YoungJae is far enough away he won't be able to hear us. He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a small box. He places it in the palm of my hand before pulling me in for a hug.

"You look amazing. You've got this, babe." Mark whispers softly as he holds me tightly. He pulls back before anyone can notice us.

"Thanks, I'll call you later." I smile as I stare down at our intertwined fingers.